Pakistan has a large, experienced software industry, and many companies here build products for clients around the world. That also means a wide range of quality. A polished website and a low quote tell you very little about how a project will actually go.
This checklist covers what to verify before you sign, whoever you choose.
1. Evidence of relevant work
Ask for work that resembles your project in type (web platform, mobile app, AI system, integration) and complexity, not just a gallery of logos.
- Look for case studies that explain the problem, the approach and what changed, not only screenshots.
- Ask to see live products, and try them yourself.
- Ask what they would do differently on a past project. Good teams answer this easily.
2. References you can speak to
Ask for two or three past clients, ideally with projects like yours, and call them. Ask about communication, how problems and changes were handled, whether deadlines and budgets held, and whether they would hire the company again.
3. The team you will actually get
The people in the sales meeting are not always the people who build your product.
- Ask who will work on your project, their roles and experience, and how much of their time is yours.
- Ask how they handle someone leaving mid-project.
- For anything substantial, insist on a named project or delivery lead and direct access to the engineers.
4. How they deliver
A good process makes problems visible early. Look for:
- Discovery first: time spent understanding users, requirements and risks before estimates harden.
- Short iterations with working software you can see and test, typically every one or two weeks.
- Design before build: clickable prototypes for key flows, tested before development.
- Quality built in: code review, automated tests and a staging environment you can use.
- Communication: a regular rhythm of demos and updates, one shared channel, and enough working-hour overlap with your team. Pakistan Standard Time is UTC+5, which overlaps comfortably with the Gulf and Europe and partly with North American mornings.
5. Contracts, code and intellectual property
This is where outsourcing goes wrong most expensively, so be precise:
- An NDA before you share sensitive details.
- A contract that assigns all code, designs and IP to you on payment.
- Code in a repository your company owns from the first day, not handed over at the end.
- Your company owns the cloud accounts, domains and app store accounts, with the vendor given access, not the other way round.
- Clear acceptance criteria, warranty period and an exit plan, including handover documentation if you change vendors.
6. Security and data protection
Ask how they protect your code, data and systems: access control and two-factor authentication, how secrets and credentials are handled, secure coding and dependency updates, and how they would handle a security incident. If your product handles personal or regulated data, ask how they have met those requirements before.
7. Pricing models
Common models are:
| Model | How it works | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed price | Agreed scope for an agreed price | Small, well-defined projects |
| Time and materials | You pay for time actually spent | Evolving products and uncertain scope |
| Dedicated team | A team works for you month to month | Long-term product development |
Compare what is included, not just the headline number: design, testing, project management, deployment, documentation and post-launch support. A much lower quote often means something is missing.
8. Support after launch
Software needs maintenance. Agree in advance how bugs are reported and how fast they are handled, who monitors the system, how updates and security patches are applied, and what ongoing support costs.
9. Local credentials worth checking
In Pakistan, software exporters can register with the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), and many companies belong to the industry association P@SHA. Neither guarantees quality, but asking about them is a reasonable check that you are dealing with an established, registered business, alongside its company registration.
Red flags
- Firm estimates before anyone has understood your requirements.
- No direct contact with the people doing the work.
- Code kept in the vendor’s private repository until final payment.
- Reluctance to provide references or show live work.
- No testing, staging or documentation in the plan.
- A quote far below everyone else’s with no clear explanation.
A simple way to decide
Shortlist two or three companies and give each the same brief. Compare how they question your requirements, how clearly they explain risks and trade-offs, and how specific their plan is. Then start with a short, paid discovery phase or pilot. How a team works for a few weeks tells you more than any proposal.